Network Access Objectives Quiz

Physical Layer Connection

• A physical connection to a local network must be established before any network communications can occur
• A physical connection can be a wired connection using a cable or a wireless connection using radio waves
• The type of physical connection used depends on the setup of the network
• Wired connections use physical cables to transmit data, whereas wireless connections use radio waves

Wired Connections

• Desktop or laptop computers are physically connected to a shared switch using cables in a corporate office setup
• Data is transmitted through a physical cable in a wired connection

Wireless Connections

• Many businesses offer wireless connections for laptops, tablets, and smartphones
• Devices on a wireless network must be connected to a wireless access point (AP)
• Wireless connectivity is popular due to the advantages of offering this type of service
• Network security is a major component of wireless network administration
• WLANs operate in half-duplex, meaning only one device can send or receive at a time
• The wireless medium is shared amongst all wireless users
• More users accessing the WLAN simultaneously results in less bandwidth for each user

Wireless Media

• IEEE and telecommunications industry standards cover wireless data communications for both the data link and physical layers
• Physical layer specifications apply to areas such as:
  • Data to radio signal encoding
  • Frequency and power of transmission
  • Signal reception and decoding requirements
  • Antenna design and construction
• Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance and is used with certified products that belong to WLAN devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards

Wireless Access Point

• Concentrates wireless signals from users and connects to the existing copper-based network infrastructure, such as Ethernet
• Switch devices and wireless access points are often two separate dedicated devices within a network implementation
• Some devices offer both wired and wireless connectivity, such as home integrated service routers (ISRs)

Network Interface Cards

• Connect a device to the network
• Ethernet NICs are used for wired connections
• WLAN NICs are used for wireless connections
• An end-user device may include one or both types of NICs
• A network printer may only have an Ethernet NIC and must connect to the network using an Ethernet cable
• Other devices, such as tablets and smartphones, might only contain a WLAN NIC and must use a wireless connection